Preventing masquerading service attacks

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the invention include systems and methods configured to prevent masquerading service attacks. A non-limiting example computer-implemented method includes sending, from a first server in a cloud environment, a communication request comprising an application programming interface (API) key and a first server identifier to an identity and access management (IAM) server of the cloud environment. The API key can be uniquely assigned by the IAM server to a first component of the first server. The first server receives a credential that includes a token for the first component and sends the credential to a second server. The second server sends the credential, a second server identifier, and an identifier for a second component of the second server to the IAM server. The second server receives an acknowledgment from the IAM server and sends the acknowledgment to the first server.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to cloud computing and service,and more specifically, to computer systems, computer-implementedmethods, and computer program products that prevent actors frommasquerading service to attack other cloud services based on machineauthentication and authorization.

Cloud computing has become a popular way to offer various InformationTechnology (IT) concepts as services. In one implementation, a user orclient can request a service they desire and transact with a remote“cloud” provider for the needed service. Cloud services includeproviding access to remote resources, such as cloud storage, software,and remote hardware, so that tasks can be performed remotely on behalfof the client. Cloud services have become popular, in part, because theyenable users to access resources without having to store or managesupport for those resources locally. Thus, users can access moreresources than they could if limited to a local machine. Cloud servicesspan a range of applications and include, for example, cloud computingand remote storage.

Provisioning generally relates to configuring, managing, and providingcomputing resources and/or computing services. In the context of a cloudservice, provisioning includes configuring and managing the remotecomputing resources and/or services that are allocated to the client.Software resources and services are provisioned to users by providingthe users with access to instantiations (i.e., instances) of the remotesoftware and hardware resources and services, usually after anauthentication process.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to preventmasquerading service attacks. A non-limiting example method includesreceiving, at a server in a cloud environment, a cloud admin applicationprogramming interface (API) key and a service policy from a cloudadministrator of the cloud environment. The server sends server dataincluding the cloud admin API key, the service policy, and a serveridentifier to an identity and access management (IAM) server of thecloud environment. The server receives a registration acknowledgmentfrom the IAM server and sends the registration acknowledgment to thecloud administrator.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to preventmasquerading service attacks. A non-limiting example method includesreceiving, at a server in a cloud environment, a request for componentdeployment from an administrator of the cloud environment. The requestcan include an identifier for a component within the server. The serversends server data including the request for component deployment and aserver identifier to an IAM server of the cloud environment. The serverreceives an acknowledgment from the IAM server that includes a componentAPI key. The server sends the acknowledgment to the administrator afterremoving the API key.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to preventmasquerading service attacks. A non-limiting example method includessending, from a first server in a cloud environment, a communicationrequest comprising an application programming interface (API) key and afirst server identifier to an identity and access management (IAM)server of the cloud environment. The API key can be uniquely assigned bythe IAM server to a first component of the first server. The firstserver receives a credential that includes a token for the firstcomponent and sends the credential to a second server. The second serversends the credential, a second server identifier, and an identifier fora second component of the second server to the IAM server. The secondserver receives an acknowledgment from the IAM server and sends theacknowledgment to the first server.

Other embodiments of the present invention implement features of theabove-described method in computer systems and computer programproducts.

Additional technical features and benefits are realized through thetechniques of the present invention. Embodiments and aspects of theinvention are described in detail herein and are considered a part ofthe claimed subject matter. For a better understanding, refer to thedetailed description and to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The specifics of the exclusive rights described herein are particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages ofthe embodiments of the invention are apparent from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example masquerading attack in accordance with oneor more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of an example computer system for use inconjunction with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a dataflow for server registration inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a dataflow for component deployment inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a dataflow for component communication inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 10 depicts a cloud computing environment according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 depicts abstraction model layers according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Security and authentication form a critical part of cloud servicing dueto the remote, distributed nature of cloud resources. For example, it isnot uncommon for a variety of unrelated clients to access, transactwith, and otherwise use the same remote cloud service. Ensuring thateach client's own use and data is protected from third party actors,including other clients, is very important, especially when the databeing accessed or stored remotely is personal, sensitive, orproprietary.

Nowadays, more and more cloud services run as separate components in ashared cloud environment, complicating matters further, as access to andbetween each component may need to be separately authenticated on a perclient basis. Component authentication can be handled in a variety ofways. In some implementations, credentials like username and passwordpairs, application programming interface (API) keys, certificates, etc.,are used for authentication between components. These credentials areusually managed by an Identity and Access Management (IAM) server withinor communicatively coupled to the cloud environment. However, thesecredentials are usually known and configured by a componentsadministrator, such as, for example, a site reliability engineer (SRE).

Unfortunately, these types of approaches are inherently susceptible to arisk that an actor (e.g., an SRE) could exploit a known credential for acomponent to masquerade as that component in the cloud environment. Forexample, the actor can provide the credential for a first component tothe IAM server to receive an authentication token for the firstcomponent. This token can then be provided as part of a request to othercomponents in the cloud environment, which would see the request as avalid request coming from another component (i.e., the first component)in the cloud environment. This type of attack can allow the actor toeffectively bypass the authentication scheme for the other components inthe cloud environment. For clarity, an example of this type ofmasquerading attack is illustrated in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , a cloud environment 100 can include an IAM server102 communicatively coupled to an SRE 104, a first server (e.g., ServerA 106), and a second server (e.g., Server B 108). In some embodiments ofthe invention, Server A 106 can include one or more components (e.g.,Component A 110) and an API key 112. In some embodiments of theinvention, server B 108 can include one or more other components (e.g.,Component B 114).

To ensure privacy and security, the various servers and components ofthe cloud environment 100 are protected via a security scheme whereby arequest for access to a component in the cloud environment must bevalidated by the IAM 102. The expected authentication path 116illustrates an example validation path for providing Component A 110 inServer A 106 access to the Component B 114 in Server B 108. It should beunderstood that while the expected authentication path 116 illustratesone example validation path (i.e., Component A 110 requests access toComponent B 114), others are possible (e.g., Component B 114 requestsaccess to Component A 110, either of Components 110, 116 requests accessto one or more additional components, etc.).

To initiate the request, Component A 110 provides a credential (e.g.,the stored API key 112) for Server A 106 to the IAM 102 (step 1 in theexpected authentication path 116). The IAM 102 authenticates the API key112 and, if valid, provides a token to the Component A 110 (step 2 inthe expected authentication path 116). Component A 110 can then providethis token to Component B 114 along with a request for access (step 3 inthe expected authentication path 116). Component B 114 forwards therequest for access, including the token, to the IAM 102 (step 4 in theexpected authentication path 116). Finally, the IAM 102 authenticatesthe token by ensuring that the token matches the original token in step2. Once authenticated, the IAM 102 provides an acknowledgment toComponent B 114 indicating that the request for access from Component A110 is valid (step 5 in the expected authentication path 116). Access toComponent B 114 is then provided to Component A 110 (not separatelyshown).

Unfortunately, the SRE 104 can leverage its administrative access to theAPI key 112 in Server A 106 to masquerade as the Component A 110 withinthe cloud environment 100. An example of this type of attack vector isshown as the masquerade authentication path 118. During this attackvector the SRE 104 will directly access the API key 112 (step 0 in themasquerade authentication path 118). The SRE 104 will then provide theAPI key 112 to the IAM 102 (step 1 in the masquerade authentication path118). The IAM 102 authenticates the API key 112 and, if valid, providesa token to the SRE 104 (step 2 in the masquerade authentication path118). The SRE 104 can then provide this token to Component B 114 alongwith a request for access (step 3 in the masquerade authentication path118). Component B 114 forwards the request for access, including thetoken, to the IAM 102 (step 4 in the masquerade authentication path118). Finally, the IAM 102 authenticates the token by ensuring that thetoken matches the original token in step 2. Once authenticated, the IAM102 provides an acknowledgment to Component B 114 indicating that therequest for access is valid (step 5 in the masquerade authenticationpath 118). Access to Component B 114 is then provided to SRE 104 (notseparately shown).

One or more embodiments of the present invention address one or more ofthe above-described shortcomings by providing computer-implementedmethods, computing systems, and computer program products that preventmasquerading service attacks. Embodiments of the present inventionprovide a mechanism to issue credentials directly to components withinservers in the data center or cloud environment instead of issuing thosecredentials to the data center or cloud administrators (e.g., systemadmins, SREs, etc., who have physical access to the cloud data centersand/or are responsible for cloud service deployment). Under thismechanism servers are registered with the IAM and components aredeployed on the registered servers prior to allowing access(communication) between components in the cloud environment.

In some embodiments of the invention, the component credential isgenerated internally by an IAM server and issued directly to thecomponent within the cloud environment. In some embodiments of theinvention, the component is run within a lock-down operating system ofits respective server. As used herein, a “lock-down” system refers to asystem which can only be accessed using a limited API, ensuring thatnobody (e.g., third parties, admins, SREs, etc.) can know or access thecredential (excepting, of course, the IAM server and the respectivecomponent server itself). In some embodiments of the invention, allcredential requests to the IAM server must be signed by a private keystored on the component's server. This approach ensures that allrequests are made from “trusted” servers. As used herein, a “trusted”server from the point of view of the IAM server refers to a server whoserequests are signed using a private key known only to that server.

Advantageously, a credentialing deployment system configured accordingto one or more embodiments offers several technical solutions overconventional cloud-based credentialing approaches. As an initial matter,separating the data center or cloud administrators from the componentcredentialing process greatly reduces the risk of being masqueraded byeliminating the previously mentioned attack vector. Requests to IAMserver can be signed using a server's private key to ensure that all therequests originate from trusted servers. Notably, the IAM server willonly issue a credential to components running on a trusted server. Thecredential (e.g., an API key) can then be stored within a lock-downoperating system of the component's respective server. Consequently,nobody, including even the data center's own administrators (e.g., datacenter admins, system admins, SREs, etc.), can access the credential.

Turning now to FIG. 2 , a computer system 200 is generally shown inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The computersystem 200 can be an electronic, computer framework comprising and/oremploying any number and combination of computing devices and networksutilizing various communication technologies, as described herein. Thecomputer system 200 can be scalable, extensible, and modular, with theability to change to different services or reconfigure some featuresindependently of others. The computer system 200 may be, for example, aserver, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, orsmartphone. In some examples, computer system 200 may be a cloudcomputing node (e.g., a node 10 of FIG. 10 below). Computer system 200may be described in the general context of computer system executableinstructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computersystem. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs,objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computersystem 200 may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed cloud computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotecomputer system storage media including memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the computer system 200 has one or more centralprocessing units (CPU(s)) 201 a, 201 b, 201 c, etc., (collectively orgenerically referred to as processor(s) 201). The processors 201 can bea single-core processor, multi-core processor, computing cluster, or anynumber of other configurations. The processors 201, also referred to asprocessing circuits, are coupled via a system bus 202 to a system memory201 and various other components. The system memory 201 can include aread only memory (ROM) 204 and a random access memory (RAM) 205. The ROM204 is coupled to the system bus 202 and may include a basicinput/output system (BIOS) or its successors like Unified ExtensibleFirmware Interface (UEFI), which controls certain basic functions of thecomputer system 200. The RAM is read-write memory coupled to the systembus 202 for use by the processors 201. The system memory 201 providestemporary memory space for operations of said instructions duringoperation. The system memory 201 can include random access memory (RAM),read only memory, flash memory, or any other suitable memory systems.

The computer system 200 comprises an input/output (I/O) adapter 206 anda communications adapter 207 coupled to the system bus 202. The I/Oadapter 206 may be a small computer system interface (SCSI) adapter thatcommunicates with a hard disk 208 and/or any other similar component.The I/O adapter 206 and the hard disk 208 are collectively referred toherein as a mass storage 210.

Software 211 for execution on the computer system 200 may be stored inthe mass storage 210. The mass storage 210 is an example of a tangiblestorage medium readable by the processors 201, where the software 211 isstored as instructions for execution by the processors 201 to cause thecomputer system 200 to operate, such as is described herein below withrespect to the various Figures. Examples of computer program product andthe execution of such instruction is discussed herein in more detail.The communications adapter 207 interconnects the system bus 202 with anetwork 212, which may be an outside network, enabling the computersystem 200 to communicate with other such systems. In one embodiment, aportion of the system memory 201 and the mass storage 210 collectivelystore an operating system, which may be any appropriate operating systemto coordinate the functions of the various components shown in FIG. 2 .

Additional input/output devices are shown as connected to the system bus202 via a display adapter 215 and an interface adapter 216. In oneembodiment, the adapters 206, 207, 215, and 216 may be connected to oneor more I/O buses that are connected to the system bus 202 via anintermediate bus bridge (not shown). A display 219 (e.g., a screen or adisplay monitor) is connected to the system bus 202 by the displayadapter 215, which may include a graphics controller to improve theperformance of graphics intensive applications and a video controller. Akeyboard 221, a mouse 222, a speaker 221, etc., can be interconnected tothe system bus 202 via the interface adapter 216, which may include, forexample, a Super I/O chip integrating multiple device adapters into asingle integrated circuit. Suitable I/O buses for connecting peripheraldevices such as hard disk controllers, network adapters, and graphicsadapters typically include common protocols, such as the PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) and the Peripheral Component InterconnectExpress (PCIe). Thus, as configured in FIG. 2 , the computer system 200includes processing capability in the form of the processors 201, and,storage capability including the system memory 201 and the mass storage210, input means such as the keyboard 221 and the mouse 222, and outputcapability including the speaker 221 and the display 219.

In some embodiments, the communications adapter 207 can transmit datausing any suitable interface or protocol, such as the internet smallcomputer system interface, among others. The network 212 may be acellular network, a radio network, a wide area network (WAN), a localarea network (LAN), or the Internet, among others. An external computingdevice may connect to the computer system 200 through the network 212.In some examples, an external computing device may be an externalwebserver or a cloud computing node.

It is to be understood that the block diagram of FIG. 2 is not intendedto indicate that the computer system 200 is to include all of thecomponents shown in FIG. 2 . Rather, the computer system 200 can includeany appropriate fewer or additional components not illustrated in FIG. 2(e.g., additional memory components, embedded controllers, modules,additional network interfaces, etc.). Further, the embodiments describedherein with respect to computer system 200 may be implemented with anyappropriate logic, wherein the logic, as referred to herein, can includeany suitable hardware (e.g., a processor, an embedded controller, or anapplication specific integrated circuit, among others), software (e.g.,an application, among others), firmware, or any suitable combination ofhardware, software, and firmware, in various embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system 300 that prevent masqueradingservice attacks in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. FIG. 3 depicts one or more computer systems 302coupled to one or more computer systems 304 via a wired and/or wirelessnetwork. For example, computer system 302 can be representative of oneor more cloud-based resources (e.g. remote computers, etc.), andcomputer systems 304 can be representative of numerous client (local)computers. One or more of the computer systems 302 can be configured todeploy a resource (software, hardware, etc.) for use by one or morecomputer systems 304. Elements of the computer system 200 of FIG. 2 maybe used in and/or integrated into computer systems 302 and computersystems 304. In some embodiments of the invention, computation is donedirectly at the local level. In other words, elements of the computersystem 302 can instead (or in addition) be elements of the computersystems 304.

The software applications 306 can include a registration module 308, adeployment module 310, and a communication module 312. The softwareapplications 306 may utilize and/or be implemented as software 211executed on one or more processors 201, as discussed in FIG. 2 . Memory350 of the computer systems 302 can store, for example, cloud admin data352, server data 354, service data 356, component API keys 358, tokendata 360, and acknowledgment(s) 362. Block diagrams 400, 500, and 600 ofFIGS. 4, 5, and 6 , respectively, illustrates interactions betweenvarious components of the software applications 306 and memory 350 ofFIG. 3 for preventing masquerading service attacks.

FIG. 4 illustrates a data flow for server registration 400 in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG.4 , server registration 400 can include a data flow between a cloudadmin 402, a server 404, and an TAM server 406 (simply, “TAM 406”). Insome embodiments of the invention, cloud admin 402 triggers the serverregistration 400 data flow by providing the cloud admin data 352 to theserver 404. In some embodiments of the invention, the cloud admin data352 includes a cloud admin API key and a service policy (also referredto as an authorization policy) for the respective server. The servicepolicy defines the rules regarding which services can be accessed byother services. For example, the service policy can stipulate that aservice A can only be accessed by service A and service B. In someembodiments of the invention, each component is assigned to a service.In this scenario the service policy actually defines which componentscan be accessed by other components.

The server 404 sends, responsive to receiving the cloud admin data 352,server data 354 to the IAM 406. In some embodiments of the invention,the server data 354 includes registration information for the server,such as, for example, the cloud admin data 352, a server ID, and theserver's own public key. In some embodiments of the invention, theserver 404 attaches the server data 354 to the cloud admin data 352.

In some embodiments of the invention, the IAM 406 attempts to verify theserver data 354, and if successful, sends acknowledgement data (e.g.,acknowledgement 362) as a response to the server 404. In someembodiments of the invention, proper verification of server registration400 requires matching one or more components of the server data 354(e.g., the cloud admin API key, the service policy, the server ID, theserver public key, etc.) against preconfigured data stored in a database(not separately shown) within or accessible to the IAM 406. For example,the IAM 406 can maintain a database of known cloud admin API keys aswell as a list of known server IDs for authenticating the cloud admin402 and the server 404, respectively. In some embodiments of theinvention, the IAM 406 includes one or more private keys which can beused to authenticate the cloud admin's API key and the server's publickey. In some embodiments of the invention, failure to authenticate anyportion of the server data 354 results in a denial of the registrationprocess.

Once verified (i.e., once the server 404 receives the acknowledgement362), the server 404 forwards or provides acknowledgement data (e.g.,acknowledgement 362) to the cloud admin 402, completing the registrationprocess. In some embodiments of the invention, the AIM 406 adds theverified server 404 to an internally maintained list of trusted servers.

FIG. 5 illustrates a data flow for component deployment 500 inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 5 , component deployment 500 can include a data flowbetween an SRE 502, a server 504, and an IAM 506. To register a newcomponent 508 with the IAM 506, the SRE 502 triggers the componentdeployment 500 data flow by providing the service data 356 to the server504 (in this context, the service data 356 can also be referred to ascomponent deployment request data). In some embodiments of theinvention, the service data 356 includes a component ID and a service IDfor the respective component. Here, the component ID identifies acomponent, and the service ID identifies the respective service.

The server 504 sends, responsive to receiving the service data 356,server data 354 to the IAM 506. In some embodiments of the invention,the server data 354 includes registration information for the component508, such as, for example, the service data 356 and a server ID. In someembodiments of the invention, the server 504 attaches the server data354 to the service data 356.

In some embodiments of the invention, the IAM 506 attempts to verify theserver data 354, and if successful, sends acknowledgement data 362 thatincludes a component API key 358. In some embodiments of the invention,the IAM 506 internally generates the component API key 358. In someembodiments of the invention, the IAM 506 generates the component APIkey 358 in response to receiving the server data 354 (i.e., on-demandkey generation). In some embodiments of the invention, the IAM 506pre-generates a list of API keys and selects an unused key for use asthe component API key 358.

In some embodiments of the invention, proper verification of thecomponent deployment 500 data flow requires matching one or morecomponents of the server data 354 (e.g., the component ID, the serviceID, the server ID, etc.) against preconfigured data stored in a database(not separately shown) within or accessible to the IAM 506. For example,the IAM 506 can maintain a database of trusted servers (e.g., trustedserver IDs) collected during the server registration 400 data flowdiscussed previously with respect to FIG. 4 . In this manner, the IAM506 can ensure that the component deployment 500 data flow only involvescomponents within trusted servers. In some embodiments of the invention,failure to authenticate any portion of the server data 354 results in adenial of the component deployment process.

Once verified (i.e., once the server 504 receives the acknowledgement362 and the component API key 358), the server 504 forwards or providesacknowledgement data (e.g., acknowledgement 362) to the SRE 502,completing the deployment process. Notably, the component API key 358 isremoved from the acknowledgement 262 prior to transmitting theacknowledgement data to the SRE 502. In this manner, the SRE 502 isnever provided direct access to the component API key 358.

In some embodiments of the invention, the server 504 and/or thecomponent 508 is configured as a lock-down system (i.e., a lock-downserver and/or a lock-down component, not separately shown). In someembodiments of the invention, the component API key 358 is stored withinthe lock-down system. In this manner, the SRE 502 cannot be retrieved bythe SRE 502 (or anyone else, including the cloud admin 402).

For example, the server 504 can be running a secured, lock-downoperating system having only a limited API. In some embodiments of theinvention, the limited API does not include functionality fortransmitting the component API key 358 in response to a request.Instead, the limited API includes functionality which only allows therespective server to provide the component API key 358 to the IAM 506.In some embodiments of the invention, the component API key 358 can onlybe provided when necessary for internal requirements (e.g., when acomponent on the trusted server needs access to another component in thecloud environment). Notably, the decision to supply the component APIkey 358 lies within the component and the respective server and nofunctionality is provided which would allow either to provide thecomponent API key 358 to the SRE 502.

FIG. 6 illustrates a data flow for component communication 600 inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 6 , component communication 600 can include a data flowbetween an IAM 602, a first server (e.g., Server A 604), and a secondserver (e.g., Server B 606). In some embodiments of the invention, theIAM 602, the IAM 506, and the IAM 406 are the same IAM server.Similarly, in some embodiments of the invention, the server A 604 and/orthe server B 606 undergoes the same server registration and componentdeployment processes 400, 500 discussed previously with respect toeither or both of server 504 (FIG. 5 ) and server 404 (FIG. 4 ).Notably, the component communication 600 data flow does not involve anSRE 608.

In some embodiments of the invention, a component in Server A 604 (here,“Component A”) needs access to another component (here, “Component B”)stored on Server B 606. To initiate a request to access Component B, theServer A 604 sends server data 354 to the IAM 602 (in this context, theserver data 354 can also be referred to as a communication request). Theserver data 354 can include a component API key (here, “Component A APIkey”) previously provided to the IAM 506 during the component deployment500 (FIG. 5 ). In some embodiments of the invention, the server data 354is signed by the server A 604 using, e.g., the same server ID providedto the IAM 506 during the component deployment 500 (FIG. 5 ).

In some embodiments of the invention, the IAM 602 attempts to verify theserver data 354, and if successful, sends token data 360 (also referredto as a credential, or, in the illustrated example, “Component A token”)to Server A 604. In some embodiments of the invention, the IAM 602matches the Component A API key against the component API key previouslyprovided during the component deployment 500 (FIG. 5 ). In this manner,the IAM 602 can ensure that the request originates from a properlydeployed component. In some embodiments of the invention, the IAM 602matches the Server ID against the Server ID previously provided duringthe server registration 400 (FIG. 4 ). In this manner, the IAM 602 canensure that the request originates from a trusted server. In otherwords, the IAM 602 verifies both the component and the server duringverification. In some embodiments of the invention, failure toauthenticate any portion of the server data 354 results in a denial ofthe request.

Once verified (i.e., once the Server A 604 receives the component Atoken), server A 604 sends the token data 360 to Component B, eitherdirectly or through the Server B 606. Component B packages the componentA token with authenticating information, such as, for example, ComponentB ID, Service ID, and Server B ID, each generated according to one ormore embodiments. The packaged information is then provided as serverdata 354 to the IAM 602. In some embodiments of the invention, theserver data 354 is signed by the private key of the Server B 606.

In some embodiments of the invention, the IAM 602 attempts to verify theserver data 354, and if successful, sends acknowledgement data (e.g.,acknowledgement 362) as a response to server B 606. In some embodimentsof the invention, proper verification of the server data 354 requiresmatching one or more components of the server data 354 (e.g., componentB ID, service ID, component A token, server B ID, etc.) against datastored in a database (not separately shown) within or accessible to theIAM 602. As discussed previously, this data can be provided or generatedduring the prior server registration 404 and component deployment 500data flows. In some embodiments of the invention, failure toauthenticate any portion of the server data 354 results in a denial ofthe access request (i.e., the component-to-component communicationrequest).

Once verified (i.e., once server B 606 receives the acknowledgement362), server B 606 forwards or provides acknowledgement data (e.g.,acknowledgement 362) to Server A 604, completing the communicationprocess. In some embodiments of the invention, Component A and ComponentB begin communication (sharing data, etc.) following the receipt of theacknowledgement 362 by the Server A 604.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , a flowchart 700 for preventing masqueradingservice attacks is generally shown according to an embodiment. Theflowchart 700 is described in reference to FIGS. 1-6 and may includeadditional blocks not depicted in FIG. 7 . Although depicted in aparticular order, the blocks depicted in FIG. 7 can be rearranged,subdivided, and/or combined. At block 702, a server in a cloudenvironment receives a cloud admin API key and a service policy from acloud administrator of the cloud environment.

At block 704, the server sends server data that includes the cloud adminAPI key, the service policy, and a server identifier to an IAM server ofthe cloud environment. In some embodiments of the invention, the serveridentifier includes identification data that is unique to the server inthe cloud environment.

At block 706, the server receives a registration acknowledgment from theIAM server. In some embodiments of the invention, the registrationacknowledgment indicates that the IAM server has verified the public keyagainst a private key internal to the IAM server. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the registration acknowledgment indicates that the IAMserver has added the server to an internally maintained list of trustedservers. At block 708, the server sends the registration acknowledgmentto the cloud administrator.

The method can further include signing, by the server, the server datausing a public key of the server. In some embodiments of the invention,the server signs the server data prior to sending the server data to theIAM server.

Referring now to FIG. 8 , a flowchart 800 for preventing masqueradingservice attacks is generally shown according to an embodiment. Theflowchart 800 is described in reference to FIGS. 1-6 and may includeadditional blocks not depicted in FIG. 8 . Although depicted in aparticular order, the blocks depicted in FIG. 8 can be rearranged,subdivided, and/or combined. At block 802, a server in a cloudenvironment receives a request for component deployment from anadministrator of the cloud environment. In some embodiments of theinvention, the request includes an identifier for a specific componentwithin the server. In some embodiments of the invention, theadministrator is a site reliability engineer (SRE) of the cloudenvironment.

At block 804, the server sends server data that includes the request forcomponent deployment and a server identifier to an IAM server of thecloud environment. In some embodiments of the invention, the serveridentifier includes identification data that is unique to the server inthe cloud environment.

At block 806, the server receives an acknowledgment from the IAM serverthat includes a component API key. In some embodiments of the invention,the acknowledgement from the IAM server indicates that the component hasbeen deployed by the IAM server.

At block 808, the server sends an acknowledgment to the administratorthat does not include the API key. In some embodiments of the invention,the server removes the API key from the acknowledgment from the IAMserver. In some embodiments of the invention, the server generates a newacknowledgement that does not include the component API key.

The method can further include signing, by the server, the server datausing a public key of the server. In some embodiments of the invention,the server signs the server data prior to sending the server data to theIAM server.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , a flowchart 900 for preventing masqueradingservice attacks is generally shown according to an embodiment. Theflowchart 900 is described in reference to FIGS. 1-6 and may includeadditional blocks not depicted in FIG. 9 . Although depicted in aparticular order, the blocks depicted in FIG. 9 can be rearranged,subdivided, and/or combined. At block 902, a first server in a cloudenvironment sends a communication request that includes an API key and afirst server identifier to an IAM server of the cloud environment. Insome embodiments of the invention, the API key is uniquely assigned bythe IAM server to a first component of the first server. In someembodiments of the invention, the first server identifier includesidentification data that is unique to the first server in the cloudenvironment.

At block 904, the first server receives a credential that includes atoken for the first component. In some embodiments of the invention, thefirst component is stored within a lock-down system of the first server.In some embodiments of the invention, the lock-down system includes alimited API that does not include functionality for providing the APIkey to an SRE of the cloud environment.

At block 906, the first server sends the credential to a second serverin the cloud environment. In some embodiments of the invention, thesecond server identifier includes identification data that is unique tothe second server in the cloud environment.

At block 908, the second server sends server data that includes thecredential, a second server identifier, and an identifier for a secondcomponent of the second server to the IAM server. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the server data further includes a service identifierassociated with a service policy of the cloud environment.

At block 910, the second server receives an acknowledgment from the IAMserver. At block 912, the second server sends the acknowledgment to thefirst server. Notably, the acknowledgments do not include the API key.

The method can further include initializing a communication channelbetween the first component and the second component after the firstserver receives the acknowledgement from the second server. In thismanner the first component can access data from the second componentthat is otherwise restricted.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 10 , illustrative cloud computing environment 50is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one ormore cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described herein above, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 10 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 11 , a set of functional abstraction layersprovided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 10 ) is shown. Itshould be understood in advance that the components, layers, andfunctions shown in FIG. 11 are intended to be illustrative only andembodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 61; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 71, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 81 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 91; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and software applications 96 (e.g., softwareapplications 206 of FIG. 2 ), etc. Also, software applications canfunction with and/or be integrated with Resource provisioning 81.

Various embodiments of the invention are described herein with referenceto the related drawings. Alternative embodiments of the invention can bedevised without departing from the scope of this invention. Variousconnections and positional relationships (e.g., over, below, adjacent,etc.) are set forth between elements in the following description and inthe drawings. These connections and/or positional relationships, unlessspecified otherwise, can be direct or indirect, and the presentinvention is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Accordingly, acoupling of entities can refer to either a direct or an indirectcoupling, and a positional relationship between entities can be a director indirect positional relationship. Moreover, the various tasks andprocess steps described herein can be incorporated into a morecomprehensive procedure or process having additional steps orfunctionality not described in detail herein.

One or more of the methods described herein can be implemented with anyor a combination of the following technologies, which are each wellknown in the art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates forimplementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates,a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc.

For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to making andusing aspects of the invention may or may not be described in detailherein. In particular, various aspects of computing systems and specificcomputer programs to implement the various technical features describedherein are well known. Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, manyconventional implementation details are only mentioned briefly herein orare omitted entirely without providing the well-known system and/orprocess details.

In some embodiments, various functions or acts can take place at a givenlocation and/or in connection with the operation of one or moreapparatuses or systems. In some embodiments, a portion of a givenfunction or act can be performed at a first device or location, and theremainder of the function or act can be performed at one or moreadditional devices or locations.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thepresent disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spiritof the disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles of the disclosure and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the disclosure for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

The diagrams depicted herein are illustrative. There can be manyvariations to the diagram or the steps (or operations) described thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For instance, theactions can be performed in a differing order or actions can be added,deleted or modified. Also, the term “coupled” describes having a signalpath between two elements and does not imply a direct connection betweenthe elements with no intervening elements/connections therebetween. Allof these variations are considered a part of the present disclosure.

The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used for theinterpretation of the claims and the specification. As used herein, theterms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,”“having,” “contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof,are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, acomposition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only thoseelements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.

Additionally, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as anexample, instance or illustration.” Any embodiment or design describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms “at least one”and “one or more” are understood to include any integer number greaterthan or equal to one, i.e. one, two, three, four, etc. The terms “aplurality” are understood to include any integer number greater than orequal to two, i.e. two, three, four, five, etc. The term “connection”can include both an indirect “connection” and a direct “connection.”

The terms “about,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and variationsthereof, are intended to include the degree of error associated withmeasurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipmentavailable at the time of filing the application. For example, “about”can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

For example, any or all of the blocks depicted with respect to FIGS. 7,8, and 9 , can be implemented as part of a computer-implemented method,a system, or as a computer program product. The system can include amemory having computer readable instructions and one or more processorsfor executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readableinstructions controlling the one or more processors to performoperations including those depicted with respect to FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 .The computer program product can include a computer readable storagemedium having program instructions embodied therewith, the programinstructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one ormore processors to perform operations including those depicted withrespect to FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 .

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instruction by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdescribed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, at a server in a cloud environment, a cloud admin applicationprogramming interface (API) key and a service policy from a cloudadministrator of the cloud environment; sending, from the server, serverdata comprising the cloud admin API key, the service policy, and aserver identifier to an identity and access management (IAM) server ofthe cloud environment; receiving, at the server, a registrationacknowledgment from the IAM server; and sending, from the server, theregistration acknowledgment to the cloud administrator.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising signing, bythe server, the server data using a public key of the server.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the server signs theserver data prior to sending the server data to the IAM server.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the registrationacknowledgment indicates that the IAM server has verified the public keyagainst a private key internal to the IAM server.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the registrationacknowledgment indicates that the IAM server has added the server to aninternally maintained list of trusted servers.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the server identifiercomprises identification data that is unique to the server in the cloudenvironment.
 7. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, ata server in a cloud environment, a request for component deployment froman administrator of the cloud environment, wherein the request comprisesan identifier for a component within the server; sending, from theserver, server data comprising the request for component deployment anda server identifier to an identity and access management (TAM) server ofthe cloud environment; receiving, at the server, an acknowledgment fromthe TAM server comprising a component application programming interface(API) key; and sending, from the server, an acknowledgment to theadministrator that does not include the API key.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the administratorcomprises a site reliability engineer (SRE) of the cloud environment. 9.The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the serveridentifier comprises identification data that is unique to the server inthe cloud environment.
 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7,wherein the acknowledgement from the TAM server indicates that thecomponent has been deployed by the TAM server.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising signing, bythe server, the server data using a public key of the server.
 12. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the server signs theserver data prior to sending the server data to the TAM server.
 13. Acomputer-implemented method comprising: sending, from a first server ina cloud environment, a communication request comprising an applicationprogramming interface (API) key and a first server identifier to anidentity and access management (IAM) server of the cloud environment,wherein the API key is assigned by the IAM server to a first componentof the first server; receiving, at the first server, a credentialcomprising a token for the first component; sending, from the firstserver, the credential to a second server in the cloud environment;sending, from the second server, server data comprising the credential,a second server identifier, and an identifier for a second component ofthe second server to the IAM server; receiving, at the second server, anacknowledgment from the IAM server; and sending, from the second server,the acknowledgment to the first server.
 14. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 13 further comprising initializing a communicationchannel between the first component and the second component.
 15. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the first component isstored within a lock-down system of the first server.
 16. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the lock-down systemcomprises a limited API.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim16, wherein the cloud environment includes a site reliability engineer(SRE).
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein thelimited API does not include functionality for providing the API key tothe SRE.
 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein thefirst server identifier comprises identification data that is unique tothe first server in the cloud environment, and wherein the second serveridentifier comprises identification data that is unique to the secondserver in the cloud environment.
 20. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 13, wherein the server data further comprises a service identifierassociated with a service policy of the cloud environment.